President fast-tracks lease allocation to Region 10 remigrant
Remigrant Peter Baptiste was ready to give up on his dream of developing a logging business, but President Irfaan Ali renewed his hope by assuring him that he will obtain a lease for a piece of land he had been waiting on for years.
According to a release from the Office of the President, Baptiste returned home sometime in 2017 with high hopes and dreams of investing in a log exporting and value-added business in Linden.
Speaking to the President at a presidential outreach in Linden on Thursday, the 45year-old said that when he re-migrated to Guyana some four years ago, he sold all his assets from his minibus service in order to purchase five logging trucks valued at approximately $60M.
“My intention was to come back and open up a sawmill, a furniture store and to export lumber and lumber materials. I even already had investors prepared from St. Lucia and the United States of America ready to do business, but the previous administration did not have a vision and that started my first problem,” Baptiste told the President.
He said that when he inquired for assistance and guidance from ministers of the previous government, he encountered hurdles.
“One time I called a Minister and she kept asking me how I got her number and so I said Minister I need some assistance and she switched off her number from me,” Baptiste applied for in the Moblissa area. After explaining his issues to Ali, he was instructed to speak with the representative of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and was told that he would be receiving the lease he applied for on Friday which amounts to two acres of industrial land.
“Now I will be able to get my lease and one of my issues have been solved just like that after years of waiting”, the businessman said.
“President Ali rejuvenated my dreams, my vision and because of him I have been encouraged to invest more in my country. I never believed that I would have been able to sit in front of a President and speak in such an informal and casual setting. I believe this is a government for the people and I am happy,” Baptiste said.
The Lindener was part of a group of miners, farmers and loggers who journeyed to the Watooka Guest House to speak to the President.
Most of the issues raised by the residents of said, according to the the region surrounded release. infrastructural development. “All of that was frustrating and my business ended Linden Duncan raised up running flat because I the issue of the inability to was not getting to do what I obtain long-term loans wanted to do. What I did while having short-term was ended up having to get leases.
refund for the trucks and I President Ali said that even wanted to leave and the financial institutions, go back”, Baptiste related. government and residents Baptiste was also having must come to an arrangement issues with obtaining a that would benefit lease for lands he had everyone.